A visually-impaired volunteer is running ballroom dancing classes strictly for the blind.

Padma Cheriyan’s monthly session are proving such a huge success that she needs more sighted volunteers to guide members through the steps.

“It is so nice to see the visually impaired people who do not have many opportunities to get out of their homes come along and enjoy themselves - and get exercise too through dancing,” she said.

Padma, who is 78, lost her sight 21 years ago due to macular degeneration and cataracts.

She is a tireless campaigner for the Royal National Institute of Blind people, fighting to improve life for visually impaired people all over Milton Keynes.

BucksVision support the classes and indeed anyone living with sight loss in Bucks and MK. BucksVision run a number of different volunteer led social activities in MK as well as the ballroom dancing, so we would really appreciate if our information/details could be added to the article.

One of her successes was persuading centre:mk bosses to introduce a beacon system to help the blind find their way into shops they want to visit.

“I was sick of ending up in a shoe shop when I wanted to buy a greetings card!” she said.

Padma’s ballroom dancing classes are held on the last Thursday of every month between 10am and 12 noon at Centrecom in North Row, Secklow Gate West, CMK.